SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS WITH MOTORS INTEGRAL TO CHAMBER WALLS

• US 20090022571A1
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hofmeister, Christopher, Krupyshev, Alexander G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,008,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/217
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 2201/18 Machines moving with multiple degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 41/03 Synchronous motors; Motors moving step by step; Reluctance motors H02K41/035 takes precedence

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus including a peripheral wall having an inner surface that defines a substrate transport chamber capable of holding an isolated atmosphere, at least one substantially ring shaped motor having at least one stator module located within the peripheral wall, between the inner surface and an adjacent outer surface of the peripheral wall and at least one rotor suspended substantially without contact within the transport chamber such that a surface of the peripheral wall encompassed by the ring shaped motor is configured for attachment thereto of a predetermined device and at least one substrate transport arm connected to the at least one rotor and having at least one end effector configured to hold at least one substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a peripheral wall having an inner surface that defines a substrate transport chamber capable of holding an isolated atmosphere;

at least one substantially ring shaped motor having at least one stator module located within the peripheral wall, between the inner surface and an adjacent outer surface of the peripheral wall and at least one rotor suspended substantially without contact within the transport chamber such that a surface of the peripheral wall encompassed by the ring shaped motor is configured for attachment thereto of a predetermined device; and

at least one substrate transport arm connected to the at least one rotor and having at least one end effector configured to hold at least one substrate.

2. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one rotor is magnetically suspended substantially without contact within the transport chamber.

3. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined device is a fluid flow device configured to control a vacuum within the transport chamber.

4. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 3, wherein the substantially ring shaped motor surrounds the fluid flow device.

5. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one stator module is located within a side or bottom of the peripheral wall.

6. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid flow device comprises a vacuum system.

7. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one substrate transport arm comprises two transport arms extendable in substantially opposite directions.

8. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one substrate transport arm comprises two transport arms extendable in substantially the same direction.

9. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one substrate transfer arm comprises two individually rotatable transport arms, each being rotatable about a center of rotation of a respective one of the at least one rotor.

10. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one stator module is removably coupled to the peripheral wall.

11. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a position feedback system comprising at least one sensor located within the at least one stator module and a sensor track located on the at least one rotor.

12. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a frame forming a chamber;

a plurality of stator module sets embedded at least partly into a peripheral wall of the chamber, each stator module set forming a part of a respective motor where each of the plurality of stator module sets is radially spaced apart from other different stator module sets in the plurality of stator module sets;

a plurality of rotors, each rotor being supported by a respective one of the stator module sets substantially without contact; and

at least one end effector connected to a respective one of the plurality of rotors, each of the at least one end effector being configured to support a substrate;

wherein each of the stator module sets and a respective rotor are configured to effect an extension and retraction of a respective one of the at least one end effector.

13. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of stator module sets and a respective one of the plurality of rotors forming a substantially ring shaped motor.

14. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of stator module sets are embedded at least partially into a side wall of the chamber.

15. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of stator module sets is embedded at least partially into a bottom wall of the chamber.

16. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of stator module sets comprises at least one winding set and a housing configured to isolate the at least one winding set from an atmosphere of the chamber.

17. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of the at least one winding set is circumferentially spaced apart from other different ones of the at least one winding set.

18. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, further comprising at least one arm link rotatably connected at one end a respective one of the plurality of rotors and rotatably coupled at the other opposite end to the at least one end effector.

19. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one arm link comprises an articulated bridge.

20. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of rotors comprises at least two rotors having a general stacked arrangement and the at least one end effector is configured to pass through a space between the at least two rotors.

21. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of rotors comprises at least two rotors having a general stacked arrangement and the at least one end effector is configured to pass above or below the at least two rotors.

22. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of rotors comprises at least two concentrically arranged rotors.

23. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of rotors and the plurality of stator module sets are configured such that a bottom of the frame and chamber are unobstructed.

24. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a position feedback system, the position feedback system comprising at least one sensor located within the plurality of stator module sets and at least one sensor track located on the plurality of rotors.

25. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a frame having at least one isolatable chamber capable of holding a predetermined atmosphere;

a substrate transport located at least partly within the at least one isolatable chamber, the substrate transport being configured to transport at least one substrate, the substrate transport comprising,

at least two nested stator modules removably embedded into a peripheral wall of the at least one isolatable chamber;

at least two rotors located within the at least one isolatable chamber, each of the at least two rotors being supported by a respective one of the at least one stator substantially without contact forming at least two nested motors such that one of the at least two nested motors is surrounded by another different other one of the at least two nested motors; and

at least one transport arm coupled to the at least two rotors, the at least one transport arm having at least one end effector for supporting substrates;

wherein the at least two nested motors provide at least a two degree of freedom motion to the at least one transport arm.

26. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a vacuum/vent system coupled to the at least one isolatable chamber through an unobstructed bottom of the at least one isolatable chamber.

27. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least two nested stator modules are configured to apply a torque and self bearing forces a respective rotor for effecting movement of the at least one transport arm.

28. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one isolatable chamber comprises at least one opening on at least one side of the at least one isolatable chamber for inserting the at least one stator module into the peripheral wall.

29. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one isolatable chamber comprises at least two isolatable chambers arranged in a serial configuration.

30. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 29, wherein one of the at least two isolatable chambers includes a symmetric substrate transport and the other one of the at least two isolatable chambers includes a bi-symmetric substrate transport.

31. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a frame forming a substrate transport chamber;

at least one motor comprising a set of stator modules circumferentially distributed onto a peripheral wall of the substrate transport chamber, each of the stator modules being independently mountable to the peripheral wall, the at least one motor further comprising at least one common ring rotor operating with each of the stator modules; and

at least one end effector connected to the at least one common ring rotor, each of the at least one end effector being configured to support a substrate;

wherein the set of stator modules and the at least one common ring rotor being configured to effect a motor motion of the at least one end effector in at least one degree of freedom.